Improvement in pocket-knives



B'. P. BENEDICT.

Pocket-Knife.

N0 ]62,265 Patented Apri|20,1875.

WITNESS INVENTOR.

THE GRAPHIC CO.PHOT0.-LITH.39&41 PARK PLMFEJLY- CHARLES P. BENEDICT, OF MOUNT CARMEL, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN POCKET-KNlVES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 162,265, dated Ap1il20, 1875 application filed January 8, 1874.

CASE A.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OHARLns P. BENEDICT, of Mount Carmel, county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented an Innproved Pocket-Knife, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to pocket-knives; and consists in a novel construction and arrangement of parts, which have for their object to produce a cheap, neat, and strong knife, as will be fully set forth hereafter.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved knife. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line a m, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section. Fig. 4 represents one of the springs.

In my invention the handle A is made from a single piece of sheet metal of sufficient malleability to be shaped under pressure. The blanks are first cut and then formed up in dies, so as to give the knife the desired shape, and a small portion of the beak of the handle is turned up and projects between the sides of the handle, so as to form rests for the blades and to hold the springs in place. The blades B C D are secured in their places by, and turn on, the pivots a b, which pass through the sides of the handle. The form of spring for keeping the blades in position is shown in Fig. 4, and consists of a bar or strip, E, of steel, which may be straight on top, but is slightly wider at its middle than at its extremities. When these springs are placed in position in the handle their widest part E rests against the back and their end d e in close proximity to or against the projections f f formed in the ends of the handle, as plainly shown. They are held in position against the back of the handle by the tangs of the blades, against which the springs press all the time, and they are prevented from moving endwise by the shoulders f f, against which the tangs of the blades rest when they are open, instead of on the end of the spring, as in ordinary knives. F is a separator, constructed of sheet metal,

..and inserted between the blades (where more than one blade is fitted in each end of the handle.) This strip is secured in place by the pivot on which the blades turn, and its extremity being square prevents it from turning.

This method of constructing knives necessitates only the drilling of two holes in the handle for the blade-pivots, and leaves the whole structure solid and strong.

It will be readily seen that the springs are fulcrumed in the center, their ends being in contact with the tang ot' the blade, as shown in Fig. 3, and the spring is thus an equalizing-spring for both blades by reason of its structure.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that knives, such as herein described, can be cheaply and neatly made. There is no handlabor upon them aside from drilling the pivot holes for the blades, and riveting the pivots therein, and all the other parts in structure and finish are subjected to rapidly-working machinery. Such knives may be made with any desired number of blades in each end. The curved form of the handle gives it great strength and lightness, and silver or gold may be used for the handles, and a beautiful article thus produced at low cost.

I am aware that knives have heretofore been made cast or swaged from solid or single pieces of metal, and so far as known to me the springs for the blades were all held by some fixed device, independent of the blades, and had to be fitted by hand-labor. I therefore disclaim all such devices.

I claim- 1. A pocket-knife composed of the combination of the handle A, made from a single piece of sheet metal, with the shoulders ff to hold both spring and blades, spring E, and blades B and D, construct-ed substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The detachable separator for separating the blades, constructed and operating substantially as described.

CHARLES P. BENEDICT.

Witnesses:

E. H. JOHNSON, C. C. DURGIN. 

